A Time of Tradition The End of Serenity
by Leloni Bunny
Summary: A possible prelude to the Moon Kingdom's destruction of BSSM first arc. Artemis and Queen Serenity discuss Princess Serenity's future.


A Time of Tradition/ The End of Serenity 

Four small white feet pattered across the marble floor. Their owner, a white cat, seemed to be nervous about something. Artemis, as the cat was called, in fact was nervous. He had a feeling that something was about to happen in the lunar palace -- something big.

He was already aware of the tensions between the people of the Moon and those on Earth. The cat also knew that, unless Metalia's possession of the Earth sorceress known as Beryl could be exorcised, war was inevitable.  
Such was life in this Galaxy though.

What Artemis didn't know was why Queen Serenity wanted to see him alone. It was rare for the queen to call audience without Luna. Well, there was the time he'd accidentally seen half the ladies of court nude. Her Majesty had given him a hefty lecture after that fiasco. But, how was he supposed to know that the particular clothing basket he'd chosen for a nap was about to be sent to the ladies' dressing chambers?

Outside of that little mishap, Artemis had behaved himself. So why would the queen want to see him alone?  
Upon reaching Queen Serenity's chamber, he stepped on a small lever that resembled a brass piano footpetal. The footpetal was attached to a pole that was aligned up the side of the door. It stopped at a spot just above the door knob. At the top of the pole was another brass device that could be described as something like the head of a golf club. As Artemis stepped on the footpetal, the 'golf club head' bumped lightly against the door.  
"Come in," the queen called.

Artemis slid the door open. To his surprise, her majesty was staring out the window. Her hands were clasped behind her back. A somber tone hung in the air about her.

Feeling uneasy, Artemis cleared his throat. "You wanted to see me, Queen Serenity-sama"  
Her majesty turned to regard her feline advisor. Two deeply saddened blue eyes met the cat's gaze.  
"Artemis," the queen said, "Come here"

The cat was quick to do as he was told. As Artemis approached her, the queen's gaze returned to the window.  
"Look, Artemis, out in my Joy's garden. Please tell me what you see"

It was well known that Queen Serenity's 'joy' was her daughter, Princess Serenity. Since joy was what the princess gave to those around her, 'Joy' seemed a most fitting nickname.

When the princess decided that she had wanted a garden of her own, the queen had had the entire courtyard remodeled. She enjoyed watching her daughter grow and play in a thing of beauty that the princess herself had so lovingly created. Of course, she did have the help of Prince Endymion of Earth and Princess Leeda of the planet Jupiter. Together, they taught young Serenity about the flowers and how they grow. The princess was eager to try growing them herself.

At first, Queen Serenity had been against the whole idea. Being the overprotective mother that she was, the queen feared her daughter might be hurt. But one look into her Joy's eyes convinced the queen that this project meant the Moon to Princess Serenity. Plus Princess Leeda assured the queen that gardening was a very safe pastime. Even at the tender age of eleven, Princess Leeda knew her destiny and was already protective of Princess Serenity.

On this day, Princess Serenity was in her garden with her cousin, Princess Eros. Both girls kept giggling up a storm. Every so often they would motion towards the Earth. So Artemis assumed they were discussing their mutual loves.

"I see two princesses enjoying themselves in the garden," he said. He was given a small smile for his observation.

"I see a young woman who brings happiness and joy to the lives of those around her. I see a shinning star whose world is filled with love and semi-carefree days. And I see a princess whose time has run out"  
"Your Highness?!" gasped Artemis. His eyes opened wide with shock.

Queen Serenity explained. "The time of tradition has come. I've tried like hell to fight it. But, somehow, tradition always finds a way"

Understanding flooded the cat's mind. He now knew what the queen was talking about and shared her sadness. "You mean"

"Yes," she answered, "This will be her last ball as a princess. Tomorrow my Joy will become what I once was. She'll be the warrior for both Moon and Earth -- the pretty suited soldier Sailor Moon"

"Are, are you sure about this? I mean, are you sure that this battle with Beryl is the right time?" Artemis asked. "I am certain," Queen Serenity stated. "After my warrior days as Sailor Moon, I swore that I would spend my reign guarding this Solar System. I wanted to make sure that such evil as I faced would never arise again. That's why I've never spoken of it, or allowed anyone else to speak of it, in front of Serenity. Yet, as Sailor Pluto foretold to me on the night of Serenity's birth, tradition always finds a way"

"But, how can you be sure that now is the time for Princess Serenity to become a warrior?" Artemis intended to hold onto denial for as long as he could. He now understood why Luna was not here. Who knew what she might do to stop Princess Serenity from receiving the warrior training. Even if she could not stop it, Luna could make life difficult for those people around the princess.

Her majesty sighed. "My mother appeared to me in a dream last night"

Denial faded into sorrow for Artemis. Around the time of each princess's accention into her warrior training, a vision of the proceeding queen would appear to the current reigning majesty. If Queen Halcyon (1) had appeared to Queen Serenity, then it truly was time for the younger Serenity to become a warrior.

The queen knelt down and held a small round object out to Artemis. "Put this under Serenity's pillow. She will find it in the morning"

Artemis looked the object over. It was a brooch. The entire casing was gold except for the center which was a pink gemstone. Four other gemstones stationed the compass points: red: green: blue and yellow.

"I won't!" Artemis attempted one last act of defiance.

"You must," ordered Queen Serenity. "My Joy and her senshi leave for Charon Castle tomorrow. We have very little time to waste. All five girls must learn to work alongside each other as a single team. Serenity must learn to fight for herself and be responsible for this galaxy"

"Won't she be a moving target out there?" Artemis asked.

Queen Serenity shook her head. This was proving to be much more difficult than she'd hoped it would be. Between the two cats it was usually Artemis who would be quicker to obey an order than Luna. True, Luna was a perfect advisor. Yet she had a tendency to become emotionally attached to people. Luna wasn't much older than Princess Serenity, herself. She still fussed and doted over the girl as an aunt would though.

Artemis did have a fierce loyalty to the royal family. However, he also had the ability to remain clear headed in emotional situations.

"The brooch contains some ancient magic," explained the queen. "It acts as a sort of shield which conceals the identity of the wearer. If it were possible, you could place the two side by side and still no one would be able to tell that the two were one and the same unless they saw the transformation"

With no arguments left to give, Artemis sighed. "All right, your Majesty. I shall do as you ask." He stretched his neck upwards and lifted the brooch from Queen Serenity's outstretched hand. Carrying the accessory delicately in his mouth, the cat started for the door.

A thought crossed his mind and he stopped.

"Your Majesty?" Artemis asked.

"Yes"

He hesitated for a moment then asked, "Is this how... I mean, did Luna's parents, Cynthis and Lucina have to do this"

"I believe," began the queen thoughtfully, "That Cynthis must've been the one to pass the brooch on to me. Luna reminds me greatly of Lucina. She was almost too perfect of a companion and guardian. In fact... Her devotion cost her life"

A hint of teardrops glistened in the queen's eyes. Artemis knew that he had asked too much. He bowed and quickly took leave of Queen Serenity's chambers.

Behind him, her Majesty was enveloped in a silent prayer.

"Please," she whispered, "my faithful friend, if your soul can hear me, guide your daughter. Don't let her make your sacrifice. I am not ready to see the sparkle fade from my Joy's eyes at losing her best friend."

A white form slinked through the Royals' hallway. He crept towards Princess Serenity's room. 'So far, so good,' Artemis thought. Praying that the door didn't squeak, he edged it open. Near complete darkness greeted his eyes. Surprisingly, he was thankful for this. It was much easier to move around unnoticed in a dark room.  
It wasn't the humans Artemis was particularly worried about. The guards wouldn't make their rounds until the ball was nearly over. And everyone else was at the ball enjoying themselves. Artemis hoped that his counterpart was there as well.

With one leap, the cat scaled Princess Serenity's bed. Now all he had to do was slip the brooch under her pillow and his task would be complete.

"Artemis"

The cat winced and turned around. Two angry brown eyes glared at him.

"Luna"

"What are you doing?" she said. It seemed more of a scold than a question.

Artemis fumbled the brooch. He did his best to hide it under his paws as he explained. "I-I-I was just t-trying to...um...um"

Luna's voice had a tone of a growl as she spoke. "Mother and Father warned me that this day would come. Father did his best to prepare me for it. But all I can think of is how that cursed piece of jewelry cost my mother her life and changed Queen Serenity-sama." She took a step towards Artemis. "I will not allow it to happen again"

"L-Luna," began Artemis. He really didn't have any idea how to comfort his fellow advisor at a time like this. After all, his parents had lived out a peaceful life on Mau. In fact, Artemis was the first of his family to bear the crescent insignia upon birth. On the other hand, Luna's family had been deeply rooted in the Lunar Royal family for eons. He couldn't possibly understand what this meant to Luna. But Artemis tried his best anyway. "Luna, it's tradition"

The black cat bowed her head. She knew she wasn't going to win this fight. Yet she hoped that perhaps she could stall it.

"It's a horrible tradition. What kind of monster would create a tradition that throws young girls into a battle untrained"

"This is the right of passage from princess to queen. It has been so for many years before yours or my time. You know this as well as I do," Artemis said. "Besides, to produce such a goddess as Queen Serenity-sama,  
the tradition can't be all bad"

It was true. The Milky Way had not seen such a peaceful time since the Ancient Times of Wonder when Empress Selene united the galaxy as one. When her reign ended, the planets began to fight amongst themselves once again.

"But what if --I mean, it has happened. I couldn't stand it if Princess Serenity was killed," Luna said as her eyes began to water.

Both cats' ears suddenly perked up as sounds of a struggle was heard. Luna instantly leaped off the bed and made a beeline for the nearest guard post. Artemis was about to follow her. But he realized he still had his task to do. With one quick kick, the brooch was scooted neatly under Princess Serenity's pillow. The tiny lump was almost unnoticeable in this dim light. It would certainly be unnoticed by the princess tonight. Even though her pillow now held a life-changing future, it would look to Serenity tonight as it did every night -- a place for dreams.

Artemis allowed one single teardrop to escape his sapphire eyes. "I almost wish tomorrow would never come," he whispered. Then he bolted after Luna.

His teardrop unknowingly came to rest upon the lump where the brooch lay.

The Dark Kingdom attack had begun.

Ok, now for all the legal junk. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon and all characters appearing in the show are the property and (C)2000 copyright of Takeuchi Naoko-san and Toei. All rights reserved.

(1) Halcyon: a synonym for 'Serenity'.


End file.
